Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Welcome to another SWEET Tutorial Tuesday! I know that we stampers know how to use our stamps the traditional way. But have you ever thought about using the back sides of the stamps? Don't know what I am talking about? Continue to read more! I have fallen in love with this technique!

It is SUPER simple! First, ink up the back of the stamp and stamp onto the paper.

Next, turn the stamp back to original side and ink, stamp, done...

If you are not great at coloring (like myself), this gives an easy way to color an image to match paper, etc. This technique leaves a smudgy ink look...not sure the correct way to describe it, so I hope you talk my language ;)

So I made a few of this tickets to complete my card. As you can see below, I stamped a design on the side tickets, using the stamp color ink. I love how it stands out!

I would love to hear some ideas of tutorials that you would like to see in the future! I love to learn new and fun ways to use Sweet Stamp Shop's stamp! Please leave a comment with your AWESOME ideas!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Hello SWEET friends! Are you ready for another installment of Tutorial Tuesdays? It's Jessi here to share with you 'how to add dimension' to your card or project. There are so many ways to make your card POP!

My favorite way to add life to a card is paper-piecing. Large images (like the large pinwheel from the 'Wheely Like You' stamp set) make this a simple technique to complete. All you have to do is stamp the image on a variety of papers and cut out the different layers of the image.

Another way to add dimension, is by adding different layers/textures to the design. As you can see below, the thickness of the button, foam letters, layers and the banner adds to the POP factor on the card.

Do you enjoy paper piecing? Do you have any tips about adding dimension to your projects? We would love to hear your thoughts? And would love to see you projects added to our Flickr group! And since you are uploading you projects to Flickr, why not add the project to Sweet Stamp Shop's Use What You Have Challenge (new challenge starts on Wednesdays)!

I am still new at using this types of embellishments on projects. But let me state...I AM IN LOVE!

Wow, these make cardmaking so SIMPLE! And that is my favorite kind! To add more dimension (even though some of the stickers already have some), I attached them to the card using foam dots. I love how it looks like one of the balloons is floating of the card.

I love using the backs of stamps on cards! The blue clouds are made using the back of the cloud stamp in the set. To highlight the clouds, I offset the outline clouds just a little! I used same idea with the sun stamp. The back of the sun stamp was inked in yellow and stamped onto the cardstock. The front of the sun is inked in orange and stamped on top of the yellow. As I cut the sun out, I left some of the yellow trim on the rays to make the sun POP.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Have you heard of all the fun, new things going on over at Prickley Pear? If not, you should! There is a new store format, which makes shopping online EASIER! Check out the new store website HERE! You can even see the newest stamps from the latest release!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

What a great weekend! Getting inky is so much fun!!! Today, I am playing with Neat and Tangled and Fresh Squeezed Stamps! I love the chalkboard look and knew as soon as I saw the latest Little Tangles challenge, that I needed to play along! Stop by the Little Tangles blog to see the details about the current challenge - CHALKBOARD!

Here is my fun creation using some fun stamps:

My original idea was to leave it black and white, but once I finished the card I knew it need a pop of color. Bring on the sequins!!

Friday, September 6, 2013

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FUN FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY I HAVE GOING ON! LOOK OVER IN THE RIGHT COLUMN FOR MORE DETAILS!!!

What a day! I was kid-free for a few hours and was able to make 5 cards! Yippee! That was fun! Some are for future DT assignments and some were just for fun!

I could not wait to share this one using Unity Stamps and of course, some amazing Trendy Twine!

I have been sitting on these stamps for a few months now and finally was able to get inky with them! (Hooray, for school being back in session!!!)

So, I now that my coloring skills are not at expert levels, but I am excited to try more and more things with my Spectrum Noir markers! This fun rainy-day scene from Unity's Just Be You stamp set, was so much fun to color! I paired the scene with a simple sentiment from Unity's Remember Happiness stamp set. To help bring out the awesome colors, I paired the card up with some fun Trendy Twine colors (Cranberry, Orangesicle, and Lemon Tart)!

I am excited to be playing along with the Unity's Friends with Flair Fridays! I have been eyeing it for a few weeks now!

And since I am focusing on Unity stamps and Trendy Twine on this post, I would like to share the card I made earlier this week for a Trendy Twine post, HERE!

So before we continue, let me give you a quick tip about watercolors. You need to 'prep' watercolors to get the most vivid colors possible. How do you do that you ask?

Simple...

Using lukewarm water, form a pool of water on the colors that will be used on you project. Once the water starts to soak in, it is time to get to work!

Today's watercolor technique is card 'Straw Watercolor Painting'. This technique is so simple and tons of fun to do! Reminds me of fireworks! Which brings me to this SWEET card using the Cityscape stamp set...

So where to you start? Using watercolor paper, add a puddle of watercolor on the paper. Using a straw to determine airflow direction, blow air moving the paint in a variety of directions. Repeat with as many desired colors for your project.

This is a very simple technique that is great to add fun colors to any project! Have you seen any current trends or techniques that you want to learn more about? Leave a comment on this post with a suggestion and it might show up in a future Tutorial Tuesday! Cannot wait to here what you come up with!

Contact: kissinkrafts@yahoo.com

I have been married to my wonderful husband, Michael, and we have 3 precious children (2 boys and 1 girl). I was introduced to papercrafting by my creative grandmother. Papercrafting has been turned into a passion and stress-reliever!